While I was recording, I could literally feel the breathtaking and also very sad history of the place: After serving as a factory for many years, the building was turned into a detainment and transit camp for war prisoners by the Soviets after World War II, known as “Special Camp no 3”.

The place was then reopened by the East German Ministry of State Security (MfS), which used the place to either hold political prisoners or to imprison people trying to escape from the GDR (German Democratic Republic).

The daily agenda included pychological intimidation with techniques such as total isolation, sleep deprivation or threats to family and friends. Some of the cells could even be filled with water to prevent prisoners from sitting or sleeping.

The prison was closed on 3 October 1990 after the fall of the wall and Germanys reunification! Today the place is a museum and memorial called Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial (German: Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen). If you ever make it to Berlin, definitely visit the place!